Primary Election Chat with Mark Shriver and Ruth Kagi (August 3, 2020) President and CEO of Save the Children Action Network, Mark Shriver, joined former State Representative Ruth Kagi to discuss the unprecedented challenges facing children and families due to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially when it comes to child care and food access.
Missed the event? You can watch the recording here!
By Ruth Kagi – Special to The Times (July 14, 2020)
Whether you’ve been working remotely with your children at home every day or you’re an essential worker who’s had to figure out what to do when child-care centers closed, this pandemic has reminded all parents about the importance of child care.
When we do return to our workplaces in large numbers, we will face an unprecedented child-care shortage that will be a massive hurdle to economic recovery. Working parents simply can’t go to work if schools are closed and there’s no one to watch their kids.
George Floyd in Minneapolis, Breonna Taylor and David McAttee in Louisville, Tony McDade in Tallahassee, Manuel Ellis in Tacoma, all dead at the hands of police officers whose job is to serve and protect. Their deaths and the propping up of a system that perpetuates institutional racism mean that we must speak up. We are enraged. We grieve, not just for the lost lives, but for the lost childhoods of Black children, who learn too early that the color of their skin predetermines their opportunities, health, well-being, and life expectancy.
This must change.
We strongly condemn all forms of anti-Black violence. Anti-Black violence and structural racism harms all of us – our children, our families, our communities, our future. We stand in solidarity with those protesting for change.
Civil rights leader Ella Baker said, “One of the things that has to be faced is the process of waiting to change the system, how much we have got to do to find out who we are, where we have come from and where we are going.” Children’s Campaign Fund has worked for decades to effect change for Washington’s children through the political process, but we acknowledge that we have not done enough. CCF commits to challenging systemic racism, taking the time to figure out the role we have played in allowing systems to fail Black and Brown children, and creating plans to do better.
We at CCF are taking a hard look at actions we can take to increase racial justice through our work, and we invite you to join us. To start, here are actions we will take:
Endorsing candidates that align with CCF’s values of advancing racial equity.
Proactively identifying and interviewing Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) candidates as part of our endorsement process.
Building lasting relationships with BIPOC led organizations that serve children, youth, and their families.
Advocate for legislation that supports BIPOC children, youth and their families.
Our board and staff are committed to advancing racial equity in everything we do, and we are counting on you – our community – to hold us accountable.
Here are some anti-racism resources to support you in your journey: https://childrensalliance.org/blog/black-lives-matter
If you are able to donate, here are local organizations working for racial justice to consider supporting: Black Lives Matter Seattle – King County
We are in this together. Please contact us anytime with your questions, suggestions and ideas.
With gratitude,
The Children’s Campaign Fund Board of Directors